Deputy held in slayings of wife, sister-in-law

By The Associated Press
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FITCHBURG, Wis. (AP) - A recently retired Dane County sheriff's deputy has been arrested in the fatal shooting of his wife and sister-in-law in southern Wisconsin and charges are expected early this week, police said.

The former deputy, Andy Steele, 39, is being treated at a hospital for injuries consistent with a suicide attempt, Fitchburg Lt. Todd Stetzer said. He said Steele did not shoot himself but provided no details of his injuries.

Fitchburg police said Ashlee Steele, 39, and Kacee Tollesfsbol, 38, were found shot dead in the Steele home on Friday, the State Journal reported.

Police said late Saturday that Andy Steele was arrested but not yet charged in the deaths. Stetzer said more information would be released when criminal charges are filed, probably early this week.

Ashlee and Andy Steele have two children, and Tollefsbol, who lived in Lake Elmo, Minnesota, was a married mother of four, Dane County Sheriff Dave Mahoney said.

"This is an overwhelming tragedy for so many," Mahoney said.

"There are many deputies who are struggling with what occurred and trying to bring a resolution in their minds to what could've resulted in an end like this, and it's very difficult to do, to make sense out of nonsense," he said.

Steele took a medical retirement this summer. He said in a WMTV-TV interview earlier this month that he had been diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, better known as ALS, and that he was surprised by the high number of people who have donated to a fund that was set up for him.

ALS attacks nerve cells and can lead to complete paralysis and death. The ALS Association says average life expectancy is two to five years after diagnosis.